Reflections on public dialogue

By David Norlin

Friday

May 10, 2019 at 8:03 AMMay 10, 2019 at 8:03 AM

Pity the poor public servant.

Legislators, commissioners and agency managers must sort facts and opinions to make the best decisions for the public good. It is critical to hear from the public — and then sort through those comments carefully, thoughtfully and compassionately.

They’ll get advice. Some good, thoughtful, constructive. And some mean-spirited, resentful, and cringe-worthy. The latter often emanates from people claiming the mantle of stern adult responsibility, bent on teaching what, for them, pass as Christian values.

Consider two citizen commenters at a Saline County hearing on a possible new Salina jail. One cited the Bible encouraging use of “the rod of discipline.” For him, jail seems “too comfortable.” Three meals a day, warm in winter, cool in summer free medical, no work required, TV — all were seen as coddling.

So, to make jails really rehabilitate, we’ll just shut down air conditioning in 100-degree temps.

“Known murderers” (disregarding recent examples of false convictions) should be executed “in a timely manner.” God’s word in Genesis so decrees, said he. His solution? Teach his version of religion in schools.

Another cited excess alcohol use and drug abuse as choices, not diseases. Despite all evidence to the contrary, including the U.S.’ s No. 1 standing as incarcerator-in-chief, he cited the “social experiment of the past 60 years’ as ’soft on criminals’” and “the biggest failure this country has ever seen.

These attitudes constitute a canary in our coal mine.

Though not as extreme, other similarly dismissive, jarring attitudes are impacting public policy as we speak. Sadly, they come from public servants themselves, not the testifying public.

And here, pity for public servants comes to a screeching halt.

Case in point: the state Legislature's last days this month. As Kansas Interfaith Action so clearly spells out, “Medicaid Expansion ……[is] a clear moral imperative, and its failure to pass is not just a disappointment, it’s an injustice. The failure to hold hearings, the refusal to allow a vote in the Senate, are nothing less than moral failures, and blame for them rests solely at the feet of House and Senate leadership.”

On top of that, another large tax cut was passed, replacing the one vetoed by the governor.

Now, 150,000 Kansans are denied access to health insurance, and approximately 627 Kansans may die this year in the absence of expansion.